So You Still Haven’t Made a Podcast?
Remember the golden age of radio? Me, neither. Today we live in a world that knows how to podcast: that is to say, we no longer sit around the radio and wait for the news and entertainment to come to us. Armed with iPods, Zunes, MP3 players and other ridiculously-titled gadgetry, we can download and listen to this form of “Internet radio” any time we choose.
If you’re not podcasting, let me be the first to welcome you to the 21st Century. As a blog/website owner, it’s your duty to provide valuable content to the target audience you’ve chosen. To deliver that content, you’ve got to learn how to use every medium possible, which means sooner or later you’re probably going to want to know how to podcast.
That’s what this series, So You Still Haven’t Made a Podcast? is going to address. Even if you have zero podcasting experience whatsoever, these articles will take you from dud to stud so you can get busy clogging those airwaves.
What Kind of Podcast Will You Publish?
Before we get to the nuts-and-bolts of how to podcast itself, we’ll have to address some thematic-level concepts. Whether you have the technology or not, you probably won’t stick with this podcasting thing unless you’ve got some plans in place.
Let’s take a look at some of the features and uses of podcasting that help make it unique:
- Producing a “radio show” that essentially creates content that suits your blog but can be carried with MP3 players and listened to when people are at work, in the car, or working out
- Hosting and interviewing guests
- Giving your audience a chance to match the physical voice with the writing voice
- Adding a new way for your audience to experience your blog (with music backgrounds, sound effects, etc.)
- Publishing content that only works if the listener can hear it (like music)
- Making your blog more personal because readers can hear your voice
- Exposing your blog to new users by publishing your podcast in new places
Looking at these options, what kind of podcast suits your blog? A weekly topical podcast that keeps current with trends, or a monthly “feature” podcast that runs longer and contains additional sources like interviews?
Most importantly, keep asking yourself this question: how can you give more value to your audience?
It’s one thing to want to podcast, but it’s another to podcast for the right reasons. If you like your blog but feel your voice could use an additional medium, podcasting might be the exact thing for you. If you’re just thinking about podcasting because most people podcast, you might want to ask yourself if it can really add a lot to the overall content of your site.
You’ll also want to separate yourself from the crowd. There are a lot of podcasts out there, so what will make your stand out? What kind of successful podcasts do you want to model?
To build a successful podcast, try to imagine what you’d want a Wikipedia article about your podcast would say. What kind of “weekly features” would it have? What kind of people would you try to interview? What kind of sound effects and music can add to the podcast? What’s funny to you? How long will your podcast typically run?
While you produce a podcast that’s built on providing your audience with new value, you also don’t want to lose touch with your voice. Remember to focus on what entertains and motivates you, or else what you’re doing will come across as stale and inauthentic.
How to Podcast: Podcasting Equipment and Software
As much as I’d like to teach you how to podcast for free, there might be a small upfront investment required, unless you already own, for example, a computer microphone. If you’re going to get started with this podcasting recipe, I’ll need to first introduce you to the ingredients:
Audacity: Free recording and editing software. Wanna know how to podcast? Audacity will handle most of it. Audacity is great, and it’s what I use in my own podcasts. It’s fairly simple to use, but if you can’t figure anything out, it’s popular enough that you can YouTube your problem and reasonably expect a YouTube nerd to solve it. Later on we’ll address some common Audacity problems (like being able to export your sound files into an .mp3 file), but for now just download it and set it aside in your folder named “Podcasts.” You’ve already made a folder, right?- A good computer microphone. The key here is not to skimp out and buy a cheap one. Believe me: I’ve tried it, and while they will record your voice, there’s a chance it won’t be clear or could even producing a constant buzzing sound. How expensive is a “good” microphone? Probably around $20-50, including shipping and handling. I personally use a Logitech USB Microphone, and if you use a USB microphone, you’ll have to change your settings in Audacity.
- A RSS feed. Integrating your podcast with your feed will do you a lot of good, particularly as good RSS feeds will be able to take a sound file you post and weave it into the feed itself. I was amazed when I started podcasting and saw that my RSS feed automatically put my podcast MP3 file into a simply “click to play” button, no work required. If you have a blog but don’t have a feed, remind me to slap the back of your head.
Once you’ve gathered the right materials, you might notice the pieces of your podcast are already falling into place. Feel free to tinker around with Audacity to get a feel for how it works.
In the next article in this series, we’ll learn the basics of recording a podcasting file that is fit to publish, as well as address some common errors people run into. We’ll also talk about some other ways you can add content to your podcast, including interviewing guests and adding sound effects and music. Stay tuned for Part 2!
May 13th, 2009
[...] Kenitz at Clickfire wrote a series called “So You Still Haven’t Made a Podcast?” to explain the benefits of using podcasts to build content. He gives a few reasons why podcasting [...]
June 2nd, 2009
I have found that while a USB microphone is easy to connect, they don’t always work with every program (like webinars). I’ve also never been able to hear the “clarity” that is supposed to be more evident in a USB microphone. Keep up the good work.
Dave
July 21st, 2009
nice one! good little intro about the pod cast concept. this is something i would like to do fairly soon. its important to have an empty room for audibility, unless you know how to add some reverberation effects afterwards.